Chelsea Handler Claims She Sent Photos to Andrew Cuomo with the 'Top Down of My Bikini' but He 'Ghosted' Her

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Chelsea Handler; Andrew Cuomo.Photo:Taylor Hill/FilmMagic;SPENCER PLATT/POOL/AFP/Getty

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic;SPENCER PLATT/POOL/AFP/Getty

Chelsea Handlermade no secret of her interest in former New York GovernorAndrew Cuomo.

The comedian, 49, previously admitted in 2020 that she professed her interest in the then-politician during a virtual appearance onThe Viewamid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Handler is looking back on the aftermath of the forward gesture.

He first called her when she was at a friend’s home for a COVID dinner party. She explained, “I was on the phone with him just walking around in the backyard, jumping up and down like a schoolgirl. Like, everyone knew I was on the phone with Andrew Cuomo, and they’re all just like, ‘Oh my God.”

TheI’ll Have What She’s Havingauthor added that she felt “was 16,” adding, “I was just like, oh my God. I’ll never believe this is happening. I’m gonna become the First Lady of New York.”

After noting that he was “very flirty,” Handler shared, “I think he was getting a lot of attention at that time probably from lots of other women as well as me.”

The pair initially made plans for a dinner date in Maine but it never happened. She said, “I thought [we] were in progress, but then once it became real and I was on the East Coast, I never heard from him again.”

When asked if she sent Cuomo pictures of herself, Handler responded, “Yes. I sent pictures, of course. Very flirty pictures.”

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) departs following a closed-door interview with the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Coronavirus Pandemic on Capitol Hill, on June 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.Al Drago/Getty

Al Drago/Getty

She recalled of the snapshot, “I’m on a Vespa in Maine. We’re renting this house. I have a face mask on and a helmet showing him how safe I am because of COVID … And I had a bikini on, and I pulled the top down of my bikini.”

“I just thought the idea of a topless photo of Chelsea Handler somehow accidentally going through the governor’s phone and then landing on one of those big screens during his early morning COVID briefings on CNN or Fox or MSNBC just brought so much joy to me,” she added. “Like, the idea that I could possibly disrupt the country in that way and give everybody a little ounce of laughter. So I didn’t care at that point. But, no, that didn’t happen.”

The television personality also confirmed that Cuomo “never sent any photos back,” adding that the pair’s correspondence was “flirty” and she enjoyed “the attention.”

Chelsea Handler attends the Dead Funny: An All-Star Tribute to Joan Rivers benefitting God’s Love We Deliver at The Victoria Theater on November 07, 2024 in New York City.Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

“My life is filled with dodging bullets,” she shared, explaining that not starting a relationship with Cuomo was “just one example.”

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“I’ve been dodging bullets since I was four,” she continued. “My sister even says it. She says, ‘It always seems to work out for you!’ But she doesn’t seem happy about it.”

source: people.com